Come Monday, 30 special training centres primarily to help migrant students with their online learning will turn operational across the district under an out-of-school education initiative of Samagra Shiksha Kerala (SSK).
The centres will come up in areas with migrant-intense populations like Aluva, Perumbavoor, Moovattupuzha, Kolancherry, Koovappady and Kothamangalam. Libraries, clubs, halls and anganawadis easily accessible to migrant communities and having the necessary infrastructure to facilitate online learning will serve as training centres.
“As per a survey, there are around 939 students, predominantly migrants, who may have access to online learning through Victers channel but still need the assistance of such special centres since their families are not in a position to help them with their studies. School dropouts, children who never got enrolled among the local populace, including tribal communities, will also be covered under the project,” said Usha Manatt, district project coordinator, SSK.
Nearly ₹55 lakh has been earmarked for the project in the district, which will cover the expenses of setting up basic infrastructure like televisions and projectors where needed, monthly salary of education volunteers and refreshments and conveyance of participants.
The centres will be run in the present makeshift arrangement only till the reopening of schools after which all the 30 centres will be coopted into as many schools where fixed hours will be allocated either before or after school hours or during weekends.
“The plan is to conduct sessions five days a week at different timings between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. for batches belonging to classes from 1 to 12 to maintain physical-distancing and COVID protocol. EVs (Education Volunteers) will be present at centres all through,” said P.B. Ratheesh, urban coordinator, SSK.
Multilingual EVs capable of switching between different languages to communicate effectively with migrant students have been roped in with the help of local bodies.
That EVs will be paid a monthly salary of ₹6,500 has come in handy for the likes of Thahira N.E, from Muvattupuzha who taught in an unaided college till about two years ago before the deteriorating health of her father forced her to quit. “Hopefully, there will be good participation in the sessions,” she said.
SSK hopes to conduct the programme in full steam for its beneficiaries notwithstanding the potential hurdles along the way in the form of containment zones and other pandemic-related restrictions.